Economic aspects of dementia special care units in Veterans Affairs nursing homes.

Given the intermittent use of special care units (SCUs), we consider economic aspects associated with dementia SCUs by reviewing the literature and surveying 2 nursing homes in the VA healthcare network. In addition to reporting the features in different types of facilities in the Veterans Affairs (VA), we present an economic characterization useful for hospital and nursing home administrators whose decision-making processes incorporate clinical, management, and financial factors. We conclude that, theoretically, benefits likely outweigh the costs of instituting dementia SCUs in VA nursing homes with a large number of cognitively impaired residents.